HOWTO: convert binary property list (plist) to text in Linux

February 06, 2009

by Andrew Hoog

The iPhone (based on OS X 10.5 Leopard) stores many configuration settings in a property list (.plist file). While these are often text XML files, at times Apple uses a binary plist format. If you are analyzing the file on a Mac, you can easily open (and edit) the file with several programs including the Property List Editor and plutil (to check the syntax and convert between XML and binary).